"Come on. It's just ridiculous," said Patrick Crossin. "I don't want to have my party and my city portrayed in that manner."

Crossin, who has served on the City Council, school board and Democratic Town Committee, is among the Democrats stunned by Testa's decision to extend Newton the courtesy of nominating him.

"Everybody was taken by surprise," said Danny Roach, who had been considering challenging Testa for the party leadership job, but dropped his bid. Roach was among the dozens of DTC members seated at Testa's Italian eatery March 13 for the re-election.

For Testa, it's not about Newton's past or current allegations. It's about fairness.

"He's a member of the town committee," he said.

The often flamboyantly clad, boisterous Newton, who over the years moved up from City Council to the state Legislature, resigned his Senate seat in 2005 after pleading guilty to federal corruption charges. He was sentenced to five years in prison.

Newton, following his release, was not shy about wanting to redeem himself with a return to politics, and in 2012 he won the party's endorsement to challenge his successor, Sen. Ed Gomes, for his former seat. The two were beaten in a three-way primary by Andres Ayala, who handily won the general election.

Subsequently, Newton was charged with first-degree larceny, campaign-finance fraud and witness tampering related to his 2012 campaign's participation in the state's campaign finance program. A Superior Court judge is scheduled to decide whether to dismiss the charges March 27.

Newton said -- and Testa confirmed -- he asked Ralph Ford, a political ally, to approach Testa about allowing Newton to make the nomination.

"Our tent has to be big enough for everybody," Newton said. "Do you realize half the folks voting Democrat in Bridgeport could be ex-felons? So they're looking at a voice (for their needs)."

But what about the fact Newton, who in 2012 campaigned on redemption, has another case hanging over his head? "I know he did his time but ... he's under investigation," Crossin said.

Testa argues the current charges against Newton are only pending. "Even with me, people make accusations I don't live in Bridgeport," Testa said. "We have to wait and see what the outcome is."

One of Newton's confidants, Charles Coviello, said Newton represents a lot of the people who have been "thrown under the bus," and said he is confident the judge will be on their side March 27. "I expect it to be dismissed," Coviello said.

For some, the Testa and Newton alliance is just further proof that the makeup of the city's Democratic Town Committee is stale. Testa himself is a veteran who ran the party for much of the 1990s, stepped down in 2003, then was re-elected chairman in 2008.

Freshman Councilman Trish Swain, D-132, was among a slate of independent Democrats who upset the status quo last year when they won primaries against town committee candidates. But Swain tried and failed to win a town committee seat earlier this month. "I ran to put some new faces in a body that has been run by the exact same faces for so long," Swain said. "It's a shame that it is the same people."